Restaurant owner places ‘No Africans Allowed’ sign on door

By: Chan Yuan
A restaurant owner was arrested on charges of operating without a license after placing a racist sign on the door of his business, police in Kenya said.

The owner of the Chinese restaurant in Nairobi, Zhao Yang, was charged with operating a restaurant without a valid license only hours after a nationwide protest against the policy of banning Africans after 5:00 p.m.

The co-owner of the restaurant, Esther Zhao, said that Africans pose a security risk and needed to stay out after 5:00 p.m. Taxi drivers or Africans accompanied by Chinese, European or Indian patrons, are allowed into the restaurant.

Esther Zhao said that it is impossible to know who belongs to al-Shabaab, a terrorist group based in Somalia, which is blamed for a series of attacks in the country.

Area residents are demanding the deportation of the restaurant owners.

Zhao faces a prison sentence of 18 months or a fine of more than $1,000 if convicted of operating the restaurant without a license.

The National Commission on Human Rights is preparing to file a civil lawsuit against the restaurant.